dailydatewithgod

Living in Southern California can lead one to take for granted good weather. I know I am guilty of it.  Originally being from New York, I learned early on how extreme weather can be and how wide and broad the seasonal changes can be. Aside from remembering to dress in layers at certain times of the year, there is not a lot of lifestyle adjustment that needs to occur when other parts of the world are experiencing snow, rain, or super intense heat.  I am super grateful for the weather out here and it is a big factor in my choice to stay living here for almost 20 years.  By surrounding myself with a pleasant physical environment does much to add to my peace of mind.  Although one’s surroundings cannot do everything. I have had days when I was in such a funk in my head or dealing with some intense situations that I could care less that it is beautiful outside.  I have even had times when I found myself pissed off that my outside surroundings were so beautiful since I felt anything but that inside.  I can also experience disappointment when it is cloudy for too long.  Awareness of one’s surroundings has as much to do with what we are surrounding ourselves with inside as what we see outside. Actually, what I surround my internal experience indirectly affects the eyes through which I view my external surroundings.  Taking the time to reflect on gratitude, to spend time on my daily dates with God where I pay attention to my internal surroundings provides the gauge needed to know my interpretation inclination.  Then when I notice a particular reaction to my external surroundings such as weather, people, experiences, ideas, and so on, I can connect to my inner surroundings and choose how to proceed.  If I take the time to build internal surroundings of gratitude, space for my heart to breath, the power of noticing the external without creating a story around it, the power of noticing my internal thoughts without believing them and allowing the eyes of God to define me (i.e.-get to know the truth of who I am), the more external surroundings change.